Bentley’s on Bedford — Restaurant in Lynchburg

I've been to Bentley's four times now and I can safely say it's pretty damn good! While it's owned by the same restaurant group that pretty much runs this town, the quality of the food and the service exceeds every other venue they've ever had. Everything I have ordered has been cooked and season perfectly, and presented beautifully.

The service is impeccable, the cocktails are a fantastic, and the atmosphere is quite different from many of the other restaurants in town. I love the fact that there are three very different spaces to sit. There's the inside that looks just like the old restaurant, then there is the outside patio and a really cool addition that looks like something out of Mad Men. They have a fantastic happy hour, and do not skip the truffle popcorn, potatoes au gratin, the fried oysters, and the most definitely the pierogies!

Having dined in the city for the last 13 years I'm familiar with the regular staff at these restaurants. In my opinion, Bentley's has the MVPs from all of them. Truly exceptional service!

Please, Bentley's, keep it together and stay as good as you are now so I can keep coming back!

Bravo!

Update

This place has gone downhill! The last few times I have eaten there the food was cooked to death (chicken sandwich pounded thin, cooked way too long), overcooked fries, poorly cooked oysters that taste like swamp water.

Tonight was the last straw. Showed up at 8:00, the bartender and server were too busy cleaning up to seat us. We waited a very long time and had to walk up to the bar to get their attention.

The drinks were grossly watered down, we saw them at the bar for at least 5 mins while the server was MIA and the bartender was cleaning. There were only 2 people at the bar so it wasn't a matter of the staff being busy. The oysters were rank. Tasted like old jarred oysters, tough and sour.

The tables were filthy, spay bottles left on the floor while the wait staff was in the back.

Sad this place...

I'll spare you the suspense... this was THE best meal I had while in Lynchburg.

I started with glass of the Gran Familia Rioja tempranillo. Slighly tart and so juicy. I need to add this bottle to my home bar ASAP.

The brussels sprouts were perfectly cooked: nice and crunchy with delightfully crispy skin, and drizzled with a sweet orange glaze. I sprinkled a little bit of salt on top, and the sweet/salty combination just took it over the top!

The gnocchi was chewy and cheesy and oh-so good. Loved it!

The smoked, dry rubbed wings were ever so slightly crispy on the outside, and perfectly cooked on the inside. I would have liked to taste a little more of that smoke flavor, but they were still good.

The flourless chocolate torte... Unbelievable. Rich, but not heavy or overbearing. The chocolate was delightfully dark but not bitter. Just when I thought my meal couldn't get any better... This dessert was the perfect conclusion to an already divine dining experience. If "death by chocolate" tastes like this, well then I'm all ready to go.

As delicious as the food was, the staff was even better. They were so welcoming— smiles and all— from the second I stepped in. They seemed genuinely happy to see me and I immediately felt comfortable. Emily was my server and in addition to being an absolute delight, she allowed me to enjoy my incredible meal in peace without checking in incessantly. Of everything I enjoyed about this dining experience, I think I enjoyed that most of all.

Listen, I don't care what you're doing or what's on your agenda... If you are in or anywhere NEAR Lynchburg, you absolutely MUST add this bistro to your list of places to visit. I hope you enjoy it as...

The place was absolutely dismal. It was pretentious and the employees (the two working and one who was actually doing anything) treated simple things like a burden. Do not recommend. Getting mansplained to by a classics major blowing vape smoke in your face will give you the same feeling for about 50 bones less.

Service - 2/10. Took a ridiculous amount of time to get drinks, even more for food that was not what we ordered, and then even more to get the check, which arrived before a mimosa we ordered much earlier on. We were charged for the wrong items and left infuriated at the horrible service. This could be excusable if there weren’t no more than 2 other tables in the restaurant.

Food - 6/10. Left much to be desired, and there were basically no vegetarian options, but wasn’t that bad. Definitely overpriced.

Atmosphere - 4/10. I may just not like the whole “literally just a garage turned into a restaurant” feel, but it was sad looking....